Standing by one of their own

York Village firefighters have put up funds for one of their own to buy a helmet stolen from the station on Main Street.

Comment

By Susan Morse

seacoastonline.com

By Susan Morse

Posted Aug. 7, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By Susan Morse

Posted Aug. 7, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

York Village firefighters have put up funds for one of their own to buy a helmet stolen from the station on Main Street.

Explorer Firefighter Stephen Carr, 16, has a new Cairns N5A New Yorker firefighting helmet, thanks to the York Village Fire Corporation, a private organization within the department of which every firefighter is a member, according to Carr.

The helmet is valued at around $600. Members voted at their monthly meeting in July to take the money from corporation funds, according to Carr and Fire Chief Chris Balentine.

While the department pays for gear, including helmets, firefighters consider their head gear "a signature piece of equipment," Balentine said when it was first reported stolen.

Carr received the original as a gift for his 14th birthday when he joined the fire department's Explorer post as a junior firefighter. "It's seen a lot of use," Carr said of the original.

The new one is a match.

"It's a traditional helmet made of real leather," Carr said. "There's just a lot of tradition behind the helmet."

There's no further information on the disappearance of the original helmet, according to Balentine, who reported it missing to the York Police Department on Thursday, July 4. The helmet was last seen hanging on the gear hook in the station on July 2, according to the police report.

When Carr reported to the station on July 4 to respond to a fire call, he discovered his helmet was not with the rest of his gear, according to Balentine, who said he's pretty certain it was stolen.

These types of helmets make for a good decoration on a shelf, he said.

Carr has yet to have the opportunity to wear the new one, which he now keeps under lock and key.

Carr responds to fire and rescue calls as any other member of the department. He's restricted from going into burning buildings to do interior structure attacks, he said.

As do many in the volunteer fire department, Carr, a junior this year at York High School, holds down a job. He started a landscaping and lawn care business called Stephen Carr Property Services, which won the Young Entrepreneur's award this year from the Greater York Regional Chamber of Commerce.